Mayfield-Graves LTRG: More families asking for help after flooding

GRAVES COUNTY — The number of families asking for assistance is growing after last week's historic flash flooding in Graves County.

At a job fair last week, the Mayfield-Graves County Long-Term Recovery Group had a total of 49 households asking for assistance. On Wednesday, the number had almost doubled to more than 90 families asking for help.

Ryan Drane, executive director of the LTRG, said 90% of these families do not have flood insurance, so now they are leaning on other organizations to help them in this recovery. Even if someone does not think they have had damage, they are encouraged to check, just to be on the safe side.

Right now, the recovery group is combining forces with other local groups to best serve the community in their needs.

"Immediate relief, immediate need, we're working with our partners and we're all communicating on the same page. Whether that's water or muck and gut kits, or bringing in mold remediation kits — assisting with whatever those immediate needs are. You know, fortunately, we do have about 70 to 80% of the people that we surveyed that are still able to live in their home," Drane said.

The majority of damage is in the basements and crawl spaces of homes. This damaged many homes' mechanical structures. These damages are costly.

"One of the big impacts is something that's unseen. And that's mechanical systems that were in basements and then crawl spaces. We have a lot of that whether it be hot water heaters or electrical panels, HVAC units and duct work, plumbing, electrical that's run under the houses," he said.

Over half of these families were also tornado survivors. They are dealing with yet another natural disaster. A number of those recovering from flood damage were also close to being finished with tornado recovery.

"Even though you might not be able to see it, we have a lot of the same people that are reliving that same nightmare, and if this is not federally declared, like the tornado, it's going to be up to us on our own to raise all of the funds to be able to help these survivors," he said.

Drane said it cannot use tornado recovery supplies or materials to help these families. Ultimately, since this flooding has not been declared a federal disaster, it's not receiving any federal funds. It's asking for help in getting these families the recovery they need.

Many volunteer groups and churches are mobilizing across the United States to come aid in the recovery, because in any water-related disaster, the chance of mildew and mold is high. This means work must take place in a timely manner to avoid more damage.

If someone wants to give a helping hand to these families, they can go to recovermayfieldgraves.com to donate, or if they are needing assistance, they can call 270-247-5022.